Pages

Ratings

Review Policy

I review books of all types, but my favorite genres are young adult, new adult, paranormal, urban fantasy, mysteries of all types, and horror. I also like memoir and some non-fiction. Please email me at rasberryswrlgirl (at) hotmail (dot) com if you have a proposal for a book review, guest post, interview or other type of promotional post for your book. My turn around time is anywhere from a week to a month depending on my class load. When you email me, I will let you know what kind of time frame I can work with at that time.

2013 Challenges

Upcoming Book Tours

Friday, August 31, 2012

I am taking part in the Back to the Books Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am a Reader Not A Writer. For this giveaway I am giving away your choice of a book $10 or less, as long as it takes places in a school, or involves students (ie. Vampire Academy, Born At Midnight, etc). To enter, please use the rafflecopter form. This giveaway is open internationally, as long as the Book Depository ships to your country. Please check their website if you are not sure.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Don't Forget to enter in all the other giveaways hosted on other blogs as part of the tour. There are tons of chances to win!

Synopsis:The world of fairy tales is twisted and corrupted. Two
years after her entrapment and torture at the hands of the Seven Deadly Trolls,
Snow White now works as an assassin for hire. Rude, crude and with her princess
status long revoked, she has become a dark angel for the Ever After's
damsels-in-distress.

A game of cat and mouse soon begins when two of the
Deadlies, Pride and Wrath, return to exact revenge on the fallen princess for
the murder of their brothers.

Armed with her trusty dagger carved from the magic
mirror, Snow finds herself drawn into a conspiracy that involves an ancient
relic from beyond her world's borders and the destruction of her world.

Taking perversion to a whole new level, NEVER AFTER is an
estrogen-filled romp to save the Ever After as Snow slices and dices her way
through beloved characters leaving no talking animal safe!

Review: This story is no fairy tale. It's not gum drops and lollipops and puppies. There is no happy ending with rainbows and shooting stars. Jason Robert Macumber embraces something dark and twisted in this gritty retelling of Snow White.

There are no friendly dwarfs rescuing this princess. Instead, Snow was tortured and held hostage by the Seven Deadly Trolls. After Snow's escape (and lets just say their are casualties), she becomes an assassin for hire. She becomes ensnared in a conspiracy all the while being hunted by the two remaining trolls dead set on revenge. Will Snow survive this job? Will she destroy the remaining trolls before they get her? You'll have to read it to see for yourself.The world building in this story is amazing. It's a dark, twisted, fractured kind of world. It takes some familiar scenes and makes them into ugly, scary places. Snow is absolutely amazing. Not only is she a fighter and a survivor, she is literally kick-ass. I love her sense of humor and her sarcasm. The plot is well developed. The language is realistic. I do have to give a disclaimer that this book is not for my younger readers due to mature topics and crass language. For my 18 and up set, read this book if you're into urban fantasy. You won't be disappointed.

About the Author: Jason Macumber has been writing since he could first hold
a pen, weaving stories so grand his teachers would usually have to pull him
back down to earth on more than one occasion. After beginning his writing
career in the Young Adult genre, he found that the medium did not suit his more
mature tastes and tones that were dying to rip free from the far reaches of his
mind. Thus, Snow emerged and became a force to be reckoned and the Ever After
Chronicles was born. He is currently living in Florida where he is finishing
his graduate degree and punching out the sequel to NEVER AFTER in the company
of his three dogs and one mischievous cat.

RAK is a fun book related event every month. To participate create a book wishlist and then sign up at http://booksoulmates.blogspot.com. Then start looking through people's wishlists and sending off books. To participate, you must send and receive. It's a lot of fun.

August was a particularly fun month for me. I sent and received a lot of books. I'll start with what I received so I can give gratitude to those that sent me books. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I want to send major thanks to @Luvdaylillies on twitter. She doesn't have a blog for me to link to, but she sent me two books from my Amazon wishlist (I have my gift address in there) and I was surprised to receive

. Thank you again @Luvdaylillies. I was having a rotten day, and my package really brightened my day!

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Madly is your average nearly-eighteen year old girl—for a princess, that is.

Madly James is thoroughly enjoying her internship in the small town of Slumber when the unthinkable happens—there’s a prison break in Atlas, the magically-protected home of Madly’s race. A traitor has set free eight Lore, the spirits of what humans know as fairy tales, and they are making their way to Slumber to awaken their descendants.

In order to save her home, the lives of her family, and all of humanity, Madly must learn to wield her exceptional powers and recapture the Lore before it’s too late and all is lost. But Madly’s only help are her two best friends and the Sentinel, Jackson Hamilton, that threatens both her heart and her destiny. Madly has loved Jackson as long as she can remember, but he is the one thing even a princess can’t have. Can she resist love to become the queen she was fated to be? Or can she find a way to have both?

This novelette introduces you to Madly and prepares you for the quest of a lifetime.

Madly & Wolfhardt

Madly is your average nearly-eighteen year old girl—for a princess, that is.

Madly James is thoroughly enjoying her internship in the small town of Slumber when the unthinkable happens—there’s a prison break in Atlas, the magically-protected home of Madly’s race. A traitor has set free eight Lore, the spirits of what humans know as fairy tales, and they are making their way to Slumber to awaken their descendants.

The first spirit to arrive is that of Ulrich Wolfhardt, a man that was once obsessed with wolves and a young maiden he would follow through the woods. After a bite from a wolf, Wolfhardt’s obsession with the girl became an unnatural hunger and the young maiden’s grandmother cursed him with a fate worse than death. And now he’s back…with a vengeance and a bite that can infect others as well.

Madly must learn the identity of Wolfhardt’s descendant and stop him before he kills again and spreads his curse across the earth. But the only person strong enough to help Madly is Jackson, the Sentinel who vowed to protect her and the one person capable of breaking her heart. Can Madly resist forbidden love long enough to save the world from Wolfhardt? Or will she have to sacrifice her heart and her destiny to save the ones she loves?

Madly & The Jackal

How deep does love run? Deeper than the ocean? Deeper than memory? Deeper than magic?

Following their plan to save Atlas, Madly and Jackson return the spirit of Wolfhardt to his prison beneath the sea. But even the best laid plans couldn’t account for the surprises they find. This time, Lore aren’t their only challenges.

Madly is special in ways no one could have guessed and dark forces seek to control her. They want her power, but first they must weaken her. They need her beaten. Vulnerable. Near death. And alone. But that task isn’t an easy one with Jackson at her side. The strongest of their kind, the only way to separate Jackson from Madly is to destroy his love for her, to erase it from his mind. And his heart.

Is it possible to steal Jackson’s love from Madly? Or is their love the only truly unbreakable thing?

My thoughts on the series:

The Madly series
is a mermaid tale.I love the names of
the characters.Our heroine is Madly and
her friend is Jersey.How cool are those
names?So unique too.In the beginning of the series, Madly is
interning in a small town called Slumber.One day 8 Lores (what we simple humans refer to as Fairy Tales) are
released.They are headed to Slumber to
stir up trouble and work towards destroying the human race.

Through the course of the series, Madly, who is a mermaid
princess, is trying to capture the Lores before they can destroy
humankind. At her side fighting are
Jersey (her best friend), Aidan (her betrothed) and Jackson (head sentinel in
charge of protecting madly). Though
Madly is betrothed to Aidan, she is struggling with her feelings for the hot
and broody (just how I like ‘em).
Jackson is also Jersey’s brother.
Will Madly settle for Aidan, her betrothed, fulfilling her duty? Or will she follow her heart and choose
Jackson? You’ll have to read and find
out!

The world-building in this series is amazing! The characters are well developed and lovable. Jersey and Aidan are both great supporting
characters that add so much to the story.
Jackson has such strong ethics and is such a great guy. You find yourself feeling bad for both he and
Aidan. I don’t want either one to be
hurt!

Madly is a strong-willed, determined female character who tries
to balance doing the right thing with following her heart. She struggles to catch the first Lores, Wolfhardt and Jackal, in these two books. There are so many complications, twists and
turns along the way. Family members are
abducted. Giant monsters get in the
way. Stopping the Lores challenges Madly
and takes more out of her than she thought possible. Each battle makes her stronger. I like Madly, and I really got caught up her
story. She is a well done character and
I can’t wait to see what further installments hold for our princess.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Book Blurb:Never Say Never by Kailin Gow is a YA-Mature Contemporary Romance - Releases August 13, 2012.

What girl wouldn't want to be surrounded by the sexy guys from the hottest teen rock sensation in the country? 18-year-old Never "Neve" Knight, not only is surrounded by the hottest boys to hit the music charts, but she is the band's lead singer. As the band's lead singer and manager, Never formed and shaped the band to where it is today, a band on the rise and on the brink of being signed by a label. As one of the guys, she knew each of the band members since they were all snot-nose ten-year-olds. While her boys were the cutest guys and they would protect her like knights, she couldn't date any one of them and ruin the chance at being signed with the record label of her dreams. That changes when one of the band members suddenly drops out of the band, and in walks Danny Blue, with his dreamy blue eyes, hot body, and British accent. Suddenly, Never's solid world has turned to mush, and her rule for not dating one of her band members is seriously challenged. Can she keep her head straight and get her band signed with a label without losing her heart?

Age 16 and up for mature subject matter and sexual situations

Book Review: Never (aka Neve) is the lead singer and manager of the band Never Nights. She has made a vow to never date anyone in her band - one because she has known them all because they were ten years old and two because it would complicate her dreams of the band being signed to a record label and fulfilling her rock star dreams. None of this is a problem until one of the guys drops out of the band and is replaced by Danny Blue. Never has more trouble than ever following the rules with Danny on the scene. She struggles throughout the book not to give in and fall in love or lust with Danny. Does Never succeed in taking her band to rock star status or does she lose her heart to Danny? Can she have it both ways? You will have to read Never Say Never in order to find out.

I enjoyed this book, with it's music background. Two of my favorite things are books and music, so it was a good combo. The lead character Never is pretty cool. She has a rock star dad, who has been an inspiration for her - however, she isn't riding into the music scene on her dad's shirttails. Nope, Never is an independent girl who is bound and determined to show that she is good enough to do things on her own, her way, without using her dad's fame. I have to admire at such a young age that she is aware that boundaries need to be set as far as dating within the band - and that she is keeping these boundaries, even though two of her band members want more from her. It also makes it harder that she is surrounded by hot guys. I also like that unlike a lot of YA books, Never has a good relationship with her parents and is comfortable talking to them about her life.

Danny blue is broody and mysterious. Even though he is hot, I'm not really sure that I liked him. He could relate to Never, but I liked Luc a lot better for Never. He seemed like a nice guy - easy going. Her best friend Kyle also had a thing for Never, but he's pretty intense. I'm not going to tell you who Never picks - that would take away part of the fun.

Overall, this was a quick, fun read, with lots of drama and lots of romance. Never is a kick butt heroine in the music world and surrounded by a lot of testosterone. I don't want to say too much and give anything else away. I have to say this is probably my favorite of all the Kailin Gow books I have read so far.\

About the Author: Kailin Gow is the author of over 100 books, with the
majority of them for young adults. Her most popular series are:The Frost Series, PULSE Series, Desire
Series, Wicked Woods, Steampunk Scarlett Novels, and more.A full-time author, she is also a producer,
having worked in radio, television, and film.She grew up in Southern California, lived in Texas and England, and had
traveled extensively around the world.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Synopsis: Seventeen years old and agoraphobic, Psyche Middleton vows her dad will never see the risqué photos she took during a summer modeling stint abroad, but one of them ends up on a billboard in her Montana hometown. Now everyone—especially her dad—can see it. And yet, somehow, those are the mundane things in her life because she is about to fall unexpectedly, head-over-heels in love with Erik, a mysterious young man who rescues her from a crowd of admirers, and who she’s never actually seen because…he can make himself invisible.As strange as this may seem, it’s about to get even stranger. Erik takes her to his palace in an idyllic kingdom, and she is swept into the beauty and culture of his world, but his affection has one condition: she may not see him. Overtaken, intrigued, and still not wholeheartedly believing he’s real, Psyche is going to have to decide if she can love him blindly; because if she can’t, she may lose him forever.

Review: Let me start by saying wow! This book was so different than anything else that I've read (in a good way). I love retellings of Ancient Greek mythology, and Painted Blind is a modern version of the Psyche and Eros myth. This retelling is so well done. I literally read it in one sitting.

I don't want to go into the story-line to much beyond the above posted synopsis. I don't want to give anything away, and if you're familiar with Psyche and Eros, you probably have an idea of what is going to happen. I will tell you about the characters, and about the writing though.

Psyche made a choice she is a little embarrassed about now. We've all been there at some point - we're out of town on vacation and do something daring or out of character...you know - the whole "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" kind of thing. We don't expect it to catch up with us when we return home. In Psyche's case, her behavior while out of town catches up with her in a big way! Along with being daring, Psyche is also independent and fun. She has normal teenage insecurities, but she's not one of those gorgeous girls that tries to get attention all the time by saying how ugly she is. She's very real. A normal teenage girl that a lot of us can relate to.

Erik, our hero, saves Psyche from her embarrassing moment. He is mysterious and quiet. We don't always know what he's feeling or thinking. He wants a girl that will love him for who he is, and not what he looks like. Trust is very important to Erik. I can't tell you more about what happens without giving the story away. Will Psyche keep Erik's trust? Is Psyche the girl Erik is looking for? You will have to read Painted Blind to find out.

The world building in this book is amazing. The story-line is so well done. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Psyche's character is well developed. Erik, as I said is so mysterious, but that's kind of the point. I like Aeas and Titus. They are awesome secondary characters. The grammar, dialogue and spelling are all impeccable. Overall, this book earns 5 stars.

About the Author: Michelle A. Hansen was raised in southeastern Washington. She earned her bachelor of arts degree in English teaching from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and taught high school English for six years. She and her husband have four children.